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Rivian electric cars will have Amazon Alexa integration

Rivian's R1T electric pickup truck on display at Amazon's re:MARS event. | Image: Amazon/reMARS (Twitter)

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Rivian’s appearance at Amazon’s re:MARS tech conference in Las Vegas last week has unveiled a new connection between the two companies via Alexa, the online mega retailer’s digital assistant. Rivian’s all-electric R1T pickup truck was shown integrated with Alexa’s smart home functionality to allow voice commands for its electronic features.

In a video published by the official re:MARS Twitter account, Rivian team member Christian Hubbell is seen demonstrating a voice command on the R1T.

“Alexa, open the hood,” he dictates into a remote device, explaining “what it’s gonna do is invoke our smart home function. It’s gonna open the front hood, and then we’re gonna be able to put [in] any groceries, packs, gear, you name it.” While Hubbell is describing the Alexa command function, the R1T hood is seen opening in the background, as instructed.

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https://twitter.com/AmazonreMARS/status/1138136470466768904

Amazon’s re:MARS 2019 event is an information and networking conference focused on artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and other related Earth and space technologies, including self-driving. This is the event’s first year and took place June 4-7 at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

Rivian’s attendance at re:MARS was announced by the event’s official Twitter account, and ‘#alexaauto’ was tagged in the message, indicating the startup’s vehicles might be integrated with Alexa technology. This indication now seems to be a definite possibility based on the video demo. “What happens when you combine a thirst for adventure with automotive tech and AI? Meet the world’s first Electric Adventure Vehicle at #reMARS to find out,” the announcement tweet said while featuring the R1T on a road trip to Sedona and utilizing the truck’s recently unveiled kitchen module.

At this time, it’s unclear what Rivian’s integration with Amazon’s digital assistant will be aside from voice command functionality. The R1T truck was demonstrated at the LA and New York International Auto Shows to have numerous electronic features that would be candidates for the Alexa feature. In addition to the hood/frunk open and close function, the pickup truck’s tailgate has 180 degree mobility, the suspension can be raised and lowered as needed, and the glass roof is electrochromatic for changing colors in response to outside weather and light conditions, all operated electronically. Both the R1T and the R1S SUV are slated for production and delivery late next year.

Overall, although details are still limited regarding Rivian’s final tech offerings in its production R1T truck and R1S SUV, the opportunities and potential features are promising. In the case of Amazon, who led a $700 million dollar investment into the electric car maker in February, Rivian’s re:MARS demos and any future technology sharing would seem to be a mutually beneficial endeavor for the two companies. Perhaps more sharing is in the works with other Amazon investments such as Aurora, a self-driving startup, whose goal is to support a range of manufacturers and transportation networks with its independent software. Rivian’s vehicles will have Level 2 autonomous driving hardware installed, upgradable to Level 3 via over-the-air updates once available.

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Accidental computer geek, fascinated by most history and the multiplanetary future on its way. Quite keen on the democratization of space. | It's pronounced day-sha, but I answer to almost any variation thereof.

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Tesla looks to upgrade Matrix Headlights with new features

According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.

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Credit: @jojje167 on X

Tesla is looking to upgrade its Matrix Headlights, a unique and high-tech feature that is available on several of its vehicles. The headlights aim to maximize visibility for Tesla drivers while being considerate of oncoming traffic.

The Matrix Headlights Tesla offers utilize dimming of individual light pixels to ensure that visibility stays high for those behind the wheel, while also being considerate of other cars by decreasing the brightness in areas where other cars are traveling.

Here’s what they look like in action:

As you can see, the Matrix headlight system intentionally dims the area where oncoming cars would be impacted by high beams. This keeps visibility at a maximum for everyone on the road, including those who could be hit with bright lights in their eyes.

There are still a handful of complaints from owners, however, but Tesla appears to be looking to resolve these with the coming updates in a Software Version that is currently labeled 2026.2.xxx. The coding was spotted by X user BERKANT:

According to the update, Tesla will work on improving the headlights when coming into contact with highly reflective objects, including road signs, traffic signs, and street lights. Additionally, pixel-level dimming will happen in two stages, whereas it currently performs with just one, meaning on or off.

Finally, the new system will prevent the high beams from glaring back at the driver. The system is made to dim when it recognizes oncoming cars, but not necessarily objects that could produce glaring issues back at the driver.

Tesla’s revolutionary Matrix headlights are coming to the U.S.

This upgrade is software-focused, so there will not need to be any physical changes or upgrades made to Tesla vehicles that utilize the Matrix headlights currently.

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xAI’s Grok approved for Pentagon classified systems: report

Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations. 

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Credit: xAI

Elon Musk’s xAI has signed an agreement with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to allow Grok to be used in classified military systems.

Previously, Anthropic’s Claude had been the only AI system approved for the most sensitive military work, but a dispute over usage safeguards has reportedly prompted the Pentagon to broaden its options, as noted in a report from Axios.

Under the agreement, Grok can be deployed in systems handling classified intelligence analysis, weapons development, and battlefield operations. 

The publication reported that xAI agreed to the Pentagon’s requirement that its technology be usable for “all lawful purposes,” a standard Anthropic has reportedly resisted due to alleged ethical restrictions tied to mass surveillance and autonomous weapons use.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to meet with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei in what sources expect to be a tense meeting, with the publication hinting that the Pentagon could designate Anthropic a “supply chain risk” if the company does not lift its safeguards. 

Axios stated that replacing Claude fully might be technically challenging even if xAI or other alternative AI systems take its place. That being said, other AI systems are already in use by the DoD. 

Grok already operates in the Pentagon’s unclassified systems alongside Google’s Gemini and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Google is reportedly close to an agreement that will result in Gemini being used for classified use, while OpenAI’s progress toward classified deployment is described as slower but still feasible. 

The publication noted that the Pentagon continues talks with several AI companies as it prepares for potential changes in classified AI sourcing.

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Elon Musk denies Starlink’s price cuts are due to Amazon Kuiper

“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X.

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Credit: Starlink

Elon Musk has pushed back on claims that Starlink’s recent price reductions are tied to Amazon’s Kuiper project.

In a post on X, Musk responded directly to a report suggesting that Starlink was cutting prices and offering free hardware to partners ahead of a planned IPO and increased competition from Kuiper.

“This has nothing to do with Kuiper, we’re just trying to make Starlink more affordable to a broader audience,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “The lower the cost, the more Starlink can be used by people who don’t have much money, especially in the developing world.”

The speculation originated from a post summarizing a report from The Information, which ran with the headline “SpaceX’s Starlink Makes Land Grab as Amazon Threat Looms.” The report stated that SpaceX is aggressively cutting prices and giving free hardware to distribution partners, which was interpreted as a reaction to Amazon’s Kuiper’s upcoming rollout and possible IPO.

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In a way, Musk’s comments could be quite accurate considering Starlink’s current scale. The constellation currently has more than 9,700 satellites in operation today, making it by far the largest satellite broadband network in operation. It has also managed to grow its user base to 10 million active customers across more than 150 countries worldwide. 

Amazon’s Kuiper, by comparison, has launched approximately 211 satellites to date, as per data from SatelliteMap.Space, some of which were launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Starlink surpassed that number in early January 2020, during the early buildout of its first-generation network.

Lower pricing also aligns with Starlink’s broader expansion strategy. SpaceX continues to deploy satellites at a rapid pace using Falcon 9, and future launches aboard Starship are expected to significantly accelerate the constellation’s growth. A larger network improves capacity and global coverage, which can support a broader customer base.

In that context, price reductions can be viewed as a way to match expanding supply with growing demand. Musk’s companies have historically used aggressive pricing strategies to drive adoption at scale, particularly when vertical integration allows costs to decline over time.

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